Ms. psalter-hours, use of Sarum (Calendar, Hours of the Virgin, Office of the Dead). Written and illuminated in England, probably London, before 1446 1430-1445 (fols. 5-10, 12-232), England, middle of the 15th century (fols. 1-4) and northern Italy, ca. 1482 (fols. 11, 232-261; Table of Golden Numbers on fol. 11 has beginning date of 1482).
Text has different formats for separate sections: 2 columns, 71-72 lines (fols. 1-4); 1 column 23 lines (fols. 6-261).
Most of the manuscript is written in Latin, there is one rubric in French, a few prayers in English, instructions on fol. 11 in Italian. The Italian part of M.893 codicologically and paleographically is seen as an added substitute for the original English section which was perhaps damaged or lost upon its transfer to Italy.
Decoration: 22 half-page miniatures in the original manuscript, decorated borders, some historiated, 5 added Italian miniatures.
Artist: original miniatures previously attributed by Jonathan J.G. Alexander to William Abell; Kathleen Scott disagrees with the Abell attribution and has assigned them to two hands, A and B; the Italian miniatures were attributed by Alexander to Tommaso da Modena, and at present are attributed to three hands: those on fols. 236 and 244v to Tommaso da Modena; those on fols 237v and 240 to "an illuminator working in the style of Piero della Francesca and close to the master of San Paolo Certosino = Guglielmo Giraldi; the last on fol. 255 recently tentatively attributed by Giordana Mariani Canova to an artist called Alessandro Leoni (see La miniatura a Ferrara, p. 255).
Binding: 19th-century brown morocco with plaited leather and silver clasps, lettered on back cover: DUKE OF WARWICK'S MANUSCRIPT, gilt and gauffered edges.